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Criminal Justice Publications

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Handout

Proposition 83: The Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act: Jessica's Law

October 3, 2006 - Presented To: Assembly and Senate Public Safety Committees

Handout

Prison Overcrowding and Proposed Solutions

August 18, 2006 - Presented to Special Session Committee on Correctional Policy and Fiscal Issues

Handout

Governor's Prison Expansion Proposal

August 16, 2006 - Presented to Select Committee on Prison Population Management and Capacity

Handout

Inmate Population Management

August 15, 2006 - Presented to Select Committee on Prison Population Management and Capacity

Handout

A Perspective on Emergencies and Disasters in California

May 2, 2006 - Presented to Joint Hearing of Assembly Budget Subcommittees No. 1, 4, and 5

Handout

Trends in Spending and Key Issues in Corrections

March 29, 2006 - Presented to the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 4.

Report

Prison Telemedicine Expansion Would Save State Money, Improve Health Care and Public Safety

February 23, 2006 - The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s telemedicine program allows the department to deliver health care services to inmates without transporting them to outside medical facilities. Our review finds that opportunities exist for the department to significantly expand its use of telemedicine, thereby improving public safety and reducing the cost of providing inmate health care. We recommend legislation be enacted that requires the department to take steps to expand the use of telemedicine in prisons, which would potentially reduce transportation and medical guarding costs by several million dollars.

Report

Custody Assistants Would Save State Money and Improve Operations

February 23, 2006 - Some county jails utilize non-peace officer personnel (“custody assistants”) for custody-related tasks that do not require direct control of inmates. Instead of using such “custody assistants,” state prisons rely on correctional officers for all custody-related work. The creation and use of a custody assistant classification in state prisons would reduce state costs and improve efficiency, while reducing staff vacancies in state prisons.

Report

Recidivism Reduction Proposal Requires Modification

February 23, 2006 - The Governor’s budget includes funds to develop and expand a number of prison inmate and parole programs designed to reduce recidivism. While some aspects of this proposal have merit, many aspects lack important staffing and implementation details, and it is questionable that the department will be able to successfully implement so many programs at one time. We identify steps that the state should take to improve programming in state prisons, and recommend a reduction of approximately $28 million pending receipt and review of additional information.

Report

Automatic Spending for the Entire Judicial Branch is Not Justified

February 23, 2006 - The Governor’s budget proposes to expand the use of formula-based budgeting to the entire Judicial Branch. However, the proposal lacks a clear policy rationale and would likely lead to over budgeting of the courts. We recommend rejection of this proposal.

Report

Proposition 36 at a Crossroads

February 23, 2006 - Proposition 36 provided annual appropriations from the General Fund through 2005-06 to implement a voter-approved initiative requiring drug treatment instead of incarceration in prison or jail for certain nonviolent drug possession offenders. The guaranteed appropriations for Proposition 36 are expiring, giving the Legislature discretion now to determine the level of funding for this measure. We comment on how the funding level should be set and proposals for making policy changes in the Proposition 36 law.

Report

Analysis of the 2006-07 Budget Bill, Judicial and Criminal Justice Chapter

February 23, 2006 - Analysis of the 2006-07 Budget Bill, Judiciary and Criminal Justice Chapter

Report

A Perspective on Emergencies and Disasters in California

February 22, 2006 - The Governor’s budget contains proposals for increased spending of $61 million ($54 million General Fund) in the budget year related to the state’s emergency preparedness and response—primarily for public health and agricultural emergencies. While some of the proposals are warranted, most of the proposals suffer from one or more deficiencies—such as the failure to maximize funds other than the General Fund, poorly designed solutions, and the failure to follow state information technology policy. Consequently, we recommend the Legislature reject many of the administration’s proposals. We also offer a number of key considerations for the Legislature as it evaluates the state’s emergency preparedness. Finally, we comment on recent federal funding changes, reducing risks through land use decisions, and the creation of separate homeland security and public health departments.

Handout

An Overview: Governor’s Public Safety Bond Proposal

February 14, 2006 - We review infrastructure proposals in the Strategic Growth Initiative related to public safety. Presented to the Senate Public Safety Committee.

Report

A Primer: Three Strikes - The Impact After More Than a Decade

October 20, 2005 - In this piece, we summarize key provisions of Three Strikes and You’re Out; discuss the evolution of the law in the courts; estimate the impact of the law on state and local criminal justice systems; and evaluate to what extent the law achieved its original goals.

Criminal Justice Staff

Anita Lee
(916) 319-8321
Courts, Department of Justice, Gambling
 
Caitlin O'Neil
(916) 319-8351
State Prisons, County Jails, Sentencing
 
Jared Sippel
(916) 319-8335
Emergency Services and Business Regulation
 
Orlando Sanchez Zavala
(916) 319-8307
Correctional Health Care, Rehabilitation Programs, Juvenile Justice, Community Corrections
 
Drew Soderborg
(916) 319-8346
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Public Safety and Business Regulation